SB36 D2

UPDATE 3-14-18:

SB36 is on the verge of dying in the House of Representatives. In spite of passing unanimously in the Senate a few weeks ago, SB 36 was referred to House committees IAC, CPC and FIN. A hearing on SB 36 was not scheduled in time by the Intrastate Commerce Committee Chair, Representative Takashi Ohno. There is still a way to get SB36 heard in the House.

We urge you to please call and/or e-mail ALL 3 House Committee Chairs listed below:

My name is (Your Name) and I urge you to agree to do a re-referral of SB36 to either a House joint committee or a committee referral to 2 House committees. SB36 helps protect our community access channels. This bill and this issue must continue on in the legislature. Thank you.

Please make your calls and send your e-mails by next Monday, March 19th. This is now our only path to getting SB 36 through the legislature. Your phone calls and emails are the voices that they need to hear loud and clear. To read the full version of SB36, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 3-2-18:

Charter/Spectrum is still set on displacing us into digital Siberia. March 27th is now the new date. To view the revised Charter/Spectrum mailer, CLICK HERE.

We urge you to continue to stand up against Charter/Spectrum by raising your voices and taking action. Please continue to call your congressional delegates and state legislators in both the house and senate. Here is a list of suggested talking points:

I strongly SUPPORT SB36 because:

Community access channels are critical to consumer protection. Public, Education, and Government access, in particular, government channels, are necessary tools to alert the public during natural disasters and emergencies.

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs safeguards our rights as consumers. Bills like SB36 further enables the DCCA to protect us from unfair and deceptive business practices. Charter/Spectrum’s forced channel change is not only deceptive, but unfairly discriminates against local voices and community access for the sake of increased profit margins.

No cable operator should have the power to displace local channels. Localism is critical for consumer protection, especially in our island state. No outside entity should unilaterally decide what’s in the best interest of our communities.

Local community voices and community access matters! Commercial channels like Bloomberg TV, Fox News, and the Home Shopping Network can already be viewed on multiple channels. DO NOT replace community access channels with for-profit TV.

There is no legitimate reason for Charter/Spectrum’s forced channel change. Previous cable operators kept community access channels the same for over 20 years. Hawaiian Telcom continues to keep community access channels the same, too.

Forced rebranding and financial strain for community media producers and ‘Ōlelo. The creation of new promotional materials, ads, etc. will be costly, will take an indefinite amount of time, and will drain already limited resources. In particular, ‘Ōlelo’s long-running Community Producers – many of whom are kūpuna – will face tremendous hardships to rebrand their programs to new channel numbers.

Community Access Channels = Government Transparency. Community access channels, like ‘Ōlelo, is committed to covering and airing government programs such as legislative hearings, community town halls, and other events that inform and engage civic participation. No other local channel provides this service.

Charter/Spectrum has a history of discriminating against community access. Charter/Spectrum’s forced channel change is an example of their cable-bullying track record in localities and states throughout the country. This includes going against decisions made by local officials and exorbitant service costs for school districts. For a sourced list, CLICK HERE and scroll down to the “Why This Matters” section.

No one will find us in digital Siberia. By placing community access channels in the 180s and up, Charter/Spectrum is making it harder for people to find and watch local stories from community members like you.

Severe channel confusion. Should Spectrum’s forced channel change occur, it will not happen all at once. It will be a piece-meal roll-out. This means that Spectrum subscribers in Kapolei may see channel changes, while Waipahu subscribers will not see any channel changes. Meanwhile, Hawaiian Telcom, the other cable operator on O‘ahu, will carry the same ‘Ōlelo channels.

Community access channels are not for sale! Low tiered channel locations that are below channel 100 are worth more than channel locations in digital Siberia. Charter/Spectrum’s forced channel change is a prime example of corporate greed.